Red
by anya509
Summary: This is the story of X5-878, one of those who didn't make it out in 2009. But he never stopped fighting...Will later include Max and the others.Please R&R!
1. Runaway

X5-878 shivered against the frozen air and pulled his knees closer to his chin. Only hours ago he had been ready to conquer the world. Zack had well prepared them emotionally for the escape and all of them had been completely sure of their success. And it had been a success, Cole thought bitterly. A complete success if you didn't count Jace and him.   
  
  
  
Cole had seen the guards closing in on two of the younger girls of their unit, Lu and Tinga, and had purposely drawn attention to himself in order to give them a chance to get over the fence. What he hadn't done on purpose was have five instead of two guards turn in his direction and all fire their tasers instantaneously. Cole had collapsed to the ground in a fit of seizures. The last thing he could remember before losing consciousness completely was seeing the only family he had ever known disappearing into the thick woods. Away from the rules, away from the tests, away from the pain...  
  
And here he was. Sitting pathetically huddled up like a scared a little boy, praying to Ben's Blue Lady to take him away too. Cole had woken up here, wherever here was, and hadn't seen a living sole for nearly four hours. He supposed he should be glad though. For X5-878 wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what was in store him once Lydecker decided it was his turn.  
  
As much as he hated it, Cole could feel a tear sliding slowly down his cold cheek as he thought of what his brothers and sisters were doing at that moment. Tinga, Jondy, Zack, Krit, Syl, Max, Zane, Ben, Seth, Rox, Kira, and Lu. Were they out at this very moment enjoying the new splendors of the world or were they simply marveling at the sense of freedom that Cole had been so sure he'd feel by this time tonight? Would they stay together or would they separate like him and Zack had told them? Would he ever see any of them again?   
  
Would they even know he hadn't made it?  
  
Cole was shaken rudely out of his reverie by a harsh light that suddenly entered the room as the door swung open. He jumped to his feet as Lydecker came into view. Even though X5-878's head screamed at him to stand at attention and salute, Cole refused to betray the others. He looked defiantly into his most hated enemy's eyes and waited.  
  
Lydecker frowned at his soldier's lack of respect but didn't immediately call in the guards. Cole would have to go through intensive re-indoctrination most definitely but Lydecker wasn't going to decide just how intensive until he gave him a chance to defend himself.  
  
"Explain your actions tonight, soldier!" Lydecker barked. He received no reply.   
  
"Do you realize what you've done, X5-878? You've assisted in allowing your unit to expose themselves to a world that will never accept them. They'll never last! In all likelihood they're on their way to their demise as I speak. Do you understand, 878? Answer me!"  
  
"No."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I said no," Cole retorted quietly, "The only thing I've assisted in is allowing my unit a chance to expose themselves to freedom. And in all due respect, you've concentrated the majority of our training thus far on espionage and survival skills. I believe they will do fine."  
  
Lydecker, who had turned a dark shade of red, shouted as he turned around, "Guards, take X5-878 to the re-indoctrination wing. Inform the doctors that he and any others that were aware of the escape beforehand should receive the highest level."  
  
As Cole was dragged roughly from the cold, stone room and down the hallway, he could almost hear Zack's last words to them before they'd broken for the fence.  
  
Remember, concentrate on yourself and your partner. And don't look back under any circumstances! Once you're over the fence scatter and run. Remember, soldiers, this is escape and evade operation. Do not try to be the hero! That'll get you nowhere but back where you started. Wait for my signal... 


	2. Bad Soldier

*Author's Note: Eventually this story will catch up with the Dark Angel timeline but, for now, everything is taking place prior to season two.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"What do you have to say for yourself, 878?"  
  
X5-878 cleared his throat, " Sir, the subject in pursuit was excessively fast and managed to conceal himself using his superior knowledge of the terrain, sir!  
  
Lydecker narrowed his eyes.  
  
"And what made his knowledge superior?"  
  
"The individual has lived in this particular area for some time, sir. He knew about all the hiding places."  
  
"The 'hiding places'?"  
  
Cole nodded. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Lydecker sighed and sat down behind his desk while his soldier continued to stand at attention. Cole was considered exceptional amongst the X5 series but it was his still too free line of thought that caused his flaws. At age twenty, X5-878 stood six feet tall with 175 pounds of pure muscle. His dark hair gleamed with red highlights in the light and dark-blue eyes shone with fierce intelligence against sun-darkened skin. Behind this handsome demeanor though was where his "flaw" could be found. Cole still, despite the years of re-indoctrination and training, maintained himself as an individual in his mind and it wasn't rare for that to be evident in his actions also. And indeed it was today. He wasn't even in Lydecker's line of command anymore, he was in Renfro's, but Cole was often sent to him to justify his actions. One's that Lydecker was supposed to be able to form an explanation of since he'd been X5-878's primary handler for many years previous.  
  
"And who exactly were you commanded to apprehend, soldier?" Lydecker growled, his teeth already grinding in frustration.   
  
"X5-210, sir."  
  
"Would you be referring to the X5-210 whom you used to refer to as 'Zane'? One of the '09 escapees?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"And is this the first time you've been assigned to one of the '09 escapees and failed to complete your mission?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Is there a reason for that?"  
  
"Sir, when I was assigned to another escapee, my partner failed to inform me that she'd witnessed two X5's enters the parameters instead of one. I was ambushed, sir."  
  
Lydecker slowly worked out his clenched jaw. He then stood back up and looked his soldier straight in the eyes.   
  
"You're being given a much smaller objective while a further explanation of these events is investigated, 878. For your sake, there better be no problems. You're dismissed."  
  
Cole didn't let out a short breath of relief until he reached his cell. He hadn't been lying entirely about the mission. No, in fact it was quite true that X5-210, Zane, did know the area better. What Cole had neglected to report was that he'd chosen to set out after him in a place that he'd yet to explore, therefore giving his "brother" the obvious advantage in the situation. Since Cole was confident that no information telling so could be obtained from anyone besides himself and Zane, he felt pretty good about the whole situation.  
  
Cole settled himself back onto the cold, brick slab that had served him as a bed for the last ten years since the escape. Before that had occurred, different units were situated in rooms that contained enough beds for each X5 but, afterwards, the Manticore directors had decided that allowing the "soldiers" so much time together, apart from their training, was what had allowed them the chance to plan an escape in the first place.   
  
Now the only time Cole or any of the other X series were able to converse was when they were away on missions. Even then, the majority was too mission-oriented to make small talk. Thus was the way of life at good old Manticore.   
  
As X5-878 drifted slowly off into fitful slumber he found himself involuntarily thinking about the occurrences of the day. He had wished with all his heart that he could have told Zane who he was and left this hell-hole for good but he knew that doing so would, not only be putting himself in danger, but Zane also. Manticore put an extremely tight leash on their soldiers nowadays and no one knew better than Cole what the consequences were if the leash were stretched or pulled in the least.   
  
Cole sighed and shifted onto his side. Like Max, he had some shark DNA making it nearly impossible to sleep unless he was in desperate need of it. And tonight he wasn't.   
  
Then again, 878 had no idea that he would indeed need lots of rest for his next assignment. Contrary to Lydecker's beliefs, it wasn't going to be as uneventful of an operation as he believed. 


	3. Don't Talk to Strangers

Chapter Three  
  
The sun was shining down mercilessly that day. San Diego got hot during the summer but this definitely had to be a record high for at least the last few years. The scummy public pools were filled to the limit with wailing babies and their mothers, younger children attempted to stay wet in numerous roadside sprinklers, and rowdy teenagers roamed the streets in deadbeat groups, looking for some sort of amusement on the stifling hot day  
  
One person rather enjoyed the weather though.  
  
Cole wasn't used to being able to just enjoy the sunshine. Normally he would resent it as much as the cities residents actually but his new assignment only required him to keep an eye on a man that was supposedly getting too close to discovering some top-secret information about Manticore. Cole had laughed slightly when he'd read that on his orders sheet. Any information about Manticore was top-secret. Just being an outside source and knowing of its existence was enough to get you killed. Cole hoped he'd be able to inadvertently dissuade the man to leave Manticore alone but X5-878 secretly knew he'd probably end up killing him in the end.  
  
As Cole was deep in thought he didn't even realize as he walked straight into someone walking towards him.  
  
"Excuse you!" the young women he'd ran into spat angrily after she'd fell flat on her butt.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" Cole apologized, "Let me help you up."  
  
He offered his hand, which the girl took grudgingly. As he pulled her gently to her feet Cole noticed something strange about the texture of her hand. Beneath his fingers he could swear he felt an upraised, circular scar that took up the majority of her palm. The girl seeming to realize something was amiss as Cole unintentionally continued to hold onto her hand a few seconds too long, yanked her hand away.  
  
"Um, thanks," she said as she brushed off her jeans. For the first time she looked up at her helper. He was extremely handsome and fairly well dressed. That alone left her with no idea why he was in this neighborhood.   
  
"Can I help you with those?" Cole asked referring to the bundle of papers she'd managed to keep a hold of even while she fell.   
  
"No, that's fine. Uh, if you don't mind me asking, what the hell is someone as dressy as you doing in the worst part of town? You realize you're just asking to be mugged."  
  
Cole, a bit surprised by the girl's bluntness, smiled in return to her question.  
  
"Well, he replied, "actually I'm kind of lost. I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. You wouldn't care to help a guy out would you?"  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How do I know you're not going to mug me?"  
  
Cole's smile widened.  
  
"You don't. But I look pretty harmless don't you think?"  
  
"Yeah," she joked in the same good humor, "Even I could probably kick your ass."  
  
Cole watched her as she smiled and, suddenly, something in his mind started screaming alarm at him. There was something about her face. About her eyes...  
  
She was beautiful. Pale blonde hair complete with sparkling gray eyes on a petite yet well-muscled frame made her one of the most "perfect" looking normals that Cole had ever seen. But that wasn't what had set the alarm off in his head. No, it was something else.  
  
Her large eyes, even though they were at the moment alive with happiness, had something else hidden away within them. It reminded Cole way too much of himself. A certain fear, an anger perhaps. Her eyes were way too old to be on such a young person...   
  
Almost at once, a wave of nearly suppressed memories came rushing over Cole all at once.  
  
A little, bald-headed girl, dressed in nothing but a thin gray nightgown being strapped down to a chair with one of her skinny arms extended onto another table where it too was secured. Her screaming in pain as a scalpel was dug in a circular pattern around the palm of her hand. Manticore officials discussing how she was the only one of any of them to scar. Her looking at her big brother in terror as he, along with the rest, was put through the same ordeal. Her giant gray eyes watching his. Eyes that encompassed way too much fear and anger for merely a child.  
  
Jondy...   
  
Cole didn't seem to realize he'd been staring until the girl, no, Jondy cleared her throat, a bit impatiently.  
  
"Uh, sorry," he stammered out, mentally slapping himself for acting so peculiar. "What'd you say your name was?"  
  
She smiled slightly.  
  
"Well, actually I didn't," she paused for effect before continuing, "It's Joanna. And you are?"  
  
"Philip," Cole replied smoothly. He tended to keep his alias name the same whenever he went out on missions. Once he'd tried to call himself Cole but, when that got back to Manticore, let's just say Lydecker was less than thrilled that X5-878 still referred to himself by his old name. He knew better than to do that again.  
  
This time he would have to be really careful. Jondy wasn't dumb and she would catch on quick if he dropped any clues that the normal person on the outside would never be able to make any sense of. He also couldn't allow himself to get to close to this women that one minute ago he'd been flirting outrageously with, hoping to find a little quick romance while he had the chance. Now he had to make certain he didn't get to know her well enough to even stick in her mind. It was safer for both of them that way.  
  
"You know, on second thought, I think I passed my hotel about two blocks back. You really shouldn't bother," he lied quickly, hoping she'd buy it, "Besides, I'm stronger than I look."  
  
"Are you sure? Really, it's no problem. And I could help you look out for more people to run into on the way."  
  
"Ha, ha," he replied jokingly, "No, seriously, I think I can find it."  
  
"Well I seriously think you have a problem with directions since you seem to steer on the wrong side of the street already. Come on, I'll show you hotel boulevard."  
  
She had taken off walking before Cole could offer another word of objection.  
  
Jeez, he thought to himself, who's trying to get into whose pants here?  
  
"So where are you from?" 'Joanna' asked as they were walking.  
  
"Me? L.A. actually. I know it's kind of sad. I grew up in a big city and I still can't find my way around another one."  
  
Jondy laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I've always had a pretty good sense of direction. Guess my parents really drilled it into me not to get lost on the way to the playground."  
  
"Are you from San Diego?" Cole asked.  
  
"Nope. In fact I'm originally a small town girl. I lived in some middle of nowhere town in Wyoming until I was about nine then moved to San Francisco with some relatives. I've only been living here about four months actually."  
  
Cole nodded and inwardly smiled to himself at the way she had gotten around the question. To any other person that would have sounded like an everyday story but with the reference to "some middle of nowhere town in Wyoming" meant a very particular place for Cole. And then about how she'd moved when she was nine. Well, it hadn't exactly been moving. More like running away.  
  
"Well this is goodbye," Cole said once they'd reached the steps of one of the hotels. It wasn't actually his, naturally, but he'd let Jondy think that.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"Hey, are you doing anything later?"  
  
Jondy looked at him in amusement and shook her head no.  
  
"Why do you ask?" she inquired hopefully.  
  
"Thought I could make up for running you over earlier. Maybe take you out for dinner? Have a nice candlelit banquet in honor of such a beautiful girl."  
  
Jondy smiled.  
  
"I'd love that. Where should I meet you?"  
  
"Hmm, you're choice. Besides," he added in a fake whisper, "if you can't tell, I'm a tourist. I have absolutely no idea where anything is."  
  
Cole smiled as he received a laugh in return.  
  
"How about I'll meet you right here at about eight tonight. Then we'll find somewhere to eat."  
  
"Terrific."  
  
They said their goodbyes and Cole watched Jondy stroll back down the sidewalk in the direction in which they'd come, from inside the hotel lobby. As soon as she turned the corner he found his way to the back door.   
  
She'd be furious tonight when she discovered he wasn't coming and "Philip" would soon develop into a distant memory of the guy that stood her up. Cole was guessing that it didn't happen too often.  
  
Before he hopped in a taxi, Cole took one more wistful glance in the direction she'd gone and smiled.   
  
Then he remembered the direction his journey would eventually take him back too and the world once again seemed dark and filled with all the horrors that only an X5 could know. 


	4. A Nighttime Stroll

*Ting- thanks for the reviews! So far you're the only one!!   
  
~Anya~  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Jondy tapped her foot impatiently. She wasn't used to being stood up. In fact she wasn't too used to going out on dates in the first place. Zack had continuously drilled that into her head since she was old enough to say the word "hormone". At first she had vigorously argued that going on just a date wouldn't automatically make her spill her whole life story to a guy. But her big brother had forcefully countered "rapid emotional attachments are extremely common for those who have a lack of them in the past". Jondy had asked him what exactly he meant. She had never received an answer.  
  
Anyways, she was pissed off. And pissed off and X5 was not a good combination.   
  
With an irritated groan, Jondy walked up to the front desk. She smiled sweetly at the young, pimple-faced clerk that stood there. He grinned back shyly, revealing a full set of braces.  
  
"Hey there, do you think you could check up on a guest here for me?"  
  
"Uh," he stammered uncomfortably, "Actually, we're not supposed to, um, we're not supposed to give out our, uh, guest information. It's, it's confidential."  
  
Jondy, with a terrible urge to knock his lights out and go on a rampage of the hotel, pouted her lips.  
  
"Really? I didn't know that," she said, taking on the stereotypical 'dumb blonde' persona.   
  
The clerk nodded jerkily.   
  
"Gee, I bet you could tell me an awful lot about hotels," Jondy continued, slowly making her way around the desk so she was standing next to the clerk. He gulped.  
  
"Uh, probably, yeah. I guess."  
  
"You know, you really should be more confident in yourself. Confidence makes guys really," she licked her lips, "attractive."  
  
With those last words, Jondy positioned herself just close enough so her breasts were pressed slightly into the clerk's chest.  
  
"You know what else attracts me to guys," she said seductively, "when they know how take control and make important decisions on their own."  
  
"Uh... y-yeah," he replied, his eyes not on Jondy's face but fixed, mesmerized, on her chest.   
  
"So how about that information?"  
  
As soon as Jondy heard that there was no Philip anything staying at the hotel, she stormed angrily out the door, punching a sign as she went. She didn't even notice when it fell.  
  
Jondy had only been walking a couple of minutes when her cell rang. Annoyed further at the irritating tune one of her friends had set it to; she fished it out of her pocket and picked up.  
  
"Hello?!" she practically yelled.  
  
"Whoa there, Nelly! I think someone needs to take a chill pill."  
  
She smiled slightly at her roommate's voice. Molly could usually brighten her mood. Usually.  
  
"Sorry," Jondy apologized, "I just got stood up by that guy I told you about earlier. He's not even staying at the hotel I dropped him off. Can you believe that?"  
  
"Hmm," Molly said, "yep. Sounds like the story of my life."  
  
Jondy laughed. Molly Diano was a great person but, especially nowadays, most guys were extremely intimidated when they found out she was a cop. Jondy found it rather ironic that she had hit off so well with Molly when she moved to San Diego about three months ago. A military rogue and a big city cop, who knew?   
  
"So what's up?"  
  
"Well, funny you ask, my friend. You see I had this terrible urge to eat a big Chinese dinner tonight and then veg out in front of the boob tube with my boyfriend. Then I realized, wait! I don't have a boyfriend. But I kept on thinking and decided, if you can't have a boyfriend, have a girlfriend! Not that I'm going lesbo or anything, mind you," she paused for effect before continuing, "Well, what I'm trying to ask you is, would you be my date, Joanna?"  
  
"Yes, Molly, I'll be your date," Jondy replied laughing.   
  
Philip was already dissipating from her mind.  
  
  
  
Cole crouched, perched lightly atop the edge of the building. The security at the so-called police station was miserable at four in the morning. Only two cops stood guard outside the main doors and there was but three more inside. For a normal person five to one was far from a fare fight but, for Cole, it was about the opposite. He could easily take out the first two without being noticed and then that left only the three others left inside; two of which were sleeping.  
  
"Piece of cake," he whispered to himself.  
  
He dropped soundlessly to the ground. Cole then put his hands in his pockets, put the hood of his jacket up, and strolled drunkenly around the corner.  
  
"Hey you, isn't it a little late to be out?" one of the cops asked, grabbing him by the arm.  
  
Cole played dumb and made a grunting sound in response.  
  
"You're drunk as a skunk, aren't you, bum?" number two accused, obviously annoyed at the disturbance to his peaceful watch. He pushed Cole into the wall roughly and grabbed his throat.  
  
"How does a night in the slammer sound to you, huh? Think that would sober you up?"  
  
"Let him go, Thompson. He's not worth waking the guys over."  
  
"You sure about that?"  
  
Both cops looked at the "drunk", surprised that he'd spoken; but neither of them had a chance to react. Cole had flipped the one called Thompson onto his back and knocked him out by the time the other could even move his arm for his gun. With a scowl, Cole kicked him in the gut and then the head, relaying him into the same state as his companion. Before opening the front doors he threw both of their guns back into the alley. He didn't like guns. Especially when they were used on him.  
  
The policemen inside went down with about the same fight as the others except for the last one. He had a chance to fire one shot that would have hit it's target if not for the fact that he'd fired it at an X5. Cole sent him flying into the far wall where he would surely remain for several hours. He pitied him for the headache he'd have when he awoke.   
  
"Okay, who are you?" Cole asked as he sat down at the main computer and started rapidly typing in information. The keyword "Manticore" got him immediately where he wanted to go. He read:  
  
' CS-7509 MANTICORE  
  
Manticore appears to be some type of military operation that began approximately thirty-five years ago. Although it is not yet known what their objective is, it is acknowledged that there have been extensive dealings with black-market companies over-seas. As of now, the information is inconclusive but it is assumed that some form of weapon is being secretly created. This case remains under investigation by Lieutenant Molly Diano.'  
  
Cole leaned back. He looked up the name and found the address he needed.  
  
"Well, Molly Diano, you are one unlucky girl." 


	5. Dreaming of Home

Chapter Five  
  
'The alarm sounded with all it's glory. Jondy had the urge to cover her sensitive ears with her hands but the task at hand kept her from doing so. Instead she concentrated on watching in front and to the side of her to make certain Max was still there. Despite what Zack had ordered, both she and her youngest sister had secretly promised to look out for each other. X5's didn't break their promises.  
  
Jondy snuck a quick glance over her shoulder and the sight of the dogs being turned loose made her pump her short legs even faster. With a graceful leap, she and Max simultaneously soared over the barbed wire fence and managed not to break stride as they landed side by side. They continued to sprint.  
  
They had just made it into the cover of the woods when Max suddenly broke through a thin sheet of ice and disappeared into the freezing water, barely two feet away from Jondy.   
  
"Max!" Jondy screamed, instantly dropping to her knees and watching anxiously for her sister. Jondy was forced to move back further from the spot Max had disappeared as the ice started to give way more.   
  
"Max!" she cried again, pounding her small, cold fists on the frozen bed of ice. Jondy looked up in alarm as she heard the dogs getting closer. For a fleeting instant she thought maybe she should stay, in hopes that the guards might be able to pull Max out. But as soon as the though came, it vanished. Max, no matter what happened to her, wouldn't want Jondy to forfeit her own freedom just for her.  
  
With tears streaming down her pale cheeks Jondy fled. The sounds of the dogs were getting closer and she could hear the guards yelling and guns firing as she tore across the ice-covered ground. Then from out of nowhere-.'  
  
Jondy bolted upright in her sleep. She was breathing hard, as if she had just been running just now and not a whole decade ago. Her clothes and sheets were drenched in sweat and she could feel tears descending along her cheekbones. Jondy let out a sigh. She pulled back the sheets, put her feet down on the frayed carpet, and trotted silently to the kitchen for some water. She was surprised to find Molly up too.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" her friend asked her sympathetically. Jondy had told Molly about the nightmares she had after she'd successfully woken up the heavy sleeper several times when they'd first moved in together. Jondy lied however when she said that she could never remember what the nightmares were about. In reality, she recalled only all too well.   
  
"Nah," Jondy replied, her voice still hoarse with sleep. She took the water jug out of the fridge and took a long drink directly from the bottle. With an X5 immune system, Jondy was worried about neither catching sicknesses nor giving them to her roommate. Molly, obviously skeptical of her friend's supposed extra-good health, still preferred to have her own supply handy.  
  
"So what are you doing up at this un-Godly hour?" Jondy asked as she plopped down in a chair across the table.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Guess I've got a lot on my mind right now. The Sarge is putting the pressure on me to either find more information or close some old case that seems to have nothing but dead ends everywhere I look"  
  
Jondy shrugged, "So why don't you close it then?"  
  
Molly sucked on her bottom lip, something Jondy noticed she had the habit of doing when thinking deeply about something.   
  
"Well, it's just that it's a really interesting case and I have this gut feeling that it could really lead me somewhere big. Maybe even something national. Not to mention that I'm the one that dug it back up in the first place," she paused, still gathering her thoughts. "It's some pre-pulse file that happened to find it's way into my folder and it doesn't even say who the original investigator was. I don't know. Maybe I should give it up."  
  
"Hey, I've got some detective skills," Jondy offered, attempting to lighten the mood. "Why don't you test my knowledge of the world?"  
  
Molly gave her a sideways glance.  
  
"Oh, come on! Really, I'm not as dumb as I look."  
  
With this, she received a smile from Molly.  
  
"Okay," Molly consented, "What the heck? Ever heard of something called 'Manticore'?"  
  
Jondy's heart nearly stopped. No... Not Molly. She couldn't have stumbled onto Manticore. She was a good detective, sure, but her skills weren't that good. And how much did she know from that other detective? How in danger was her life already?  
  
"Uh, Manti-what?" Jondy attempted to reply in a joking tone. But she could hear her voice and she knew it was completely devoid of any humor at the moment. She swallowed, praying to be able to regain her composure but mostly for Molly not to notice the sudden change.  
  
"Well, all I know officially is that it's some old government cover-up where they started secretly producing 'weapons of mass destruction' or something."  
  
"And un-officially?" Jondy probed, hoping she didn't sound too anxious.  
  
"Un-officially, I've dug up files about civilians that were brought into the operation about twenty years ago. I don't why or how but I do know that they're almost all in mental institutions now. The problem is, their names are all classified obviously so I have no way of locating any of them to do interviews or what not. Like I said, a bunch of dead ends."  
  
Jondy swallowed.   
  
'Our mothers...' she thought with a mixture of sad and angry emotions.  
  
"Joanna?"  
  
Jondy jerked her head up, oblivious to the fact that she'd been staring at the floor for some time.  
  
"Yeah...yeah, sorry. Guess my mind was wandering."  
  
"So what do you think?" Molly asked.  
  
"Well," Jondy replied, attempting to keep her voice steady, "it sounds interesting all right but don't you think it's more of a job for the feds to figure out? I mean, shouldn't you be concentrating on all the murderers and stuff just in San Diego? It's not like there's not enough of them."  
  
"Besides the fact that the Feds probably already know about it?" Molly sighed, "I know you're right, Jo, I just have this problem with letting stuff go. You know what I mean?"  
  
"Yeah, I gotcha."  
  
"Then, of course, good ol' Joanna doesn't hold grudges against anybody does she?" Molly teased.   
  
She was always telling Jondy that she was too forgiving of people. In truth, Jondy held the over-all "grudge" of probably anyone in the city. She just couldn't see other more material stuff in life as being nearly as important so she figured, why not enjoy life? That was what she and the others had escaped Manticore for after all. Again, this was something else she had to keep secret from Molly.  
  
They sat in silence for several minutes with only the soft drop...drop...drop of the coffee maker to fill out the thick silence.   
  
Unawares to both of them however was that they were not completely alone.  
  
Across from their third-floor apartment Cole was crouched on the roof, watching silently through the kitchen window. He had cursed in anger when he'd first seen Jondy there but now he was concentrating on formulating a plan to somehow keep her out of everything. What were the odds, he'd asked himself, that, of all the people in San Diego, the two he would have anything to do with were not only connected but also good friends and roommates? Anyways, someway or another, Cole was determined that no mention of a third-party would go on his official report he'd hand in to Manticore. No matter what the consequence was.  
  
Cole stood up unhurriedly and, as he moved to step onto the lower ledge, a piece of the cement on the edge gave way and went crashing to the pavement below, running into a few more barriers along the way. He immediately dropped to his stomach and prayed he was well enough hidden so that even Jondy's superior sight couldn't locate him amongst the shadows.  
  
He waited several minutes before he dared to inch his way across to the opposite side of the roof before successfully getting down without causing another commotion. He would be back tomorrow.  
  
Meanwhile, although both occupants of the apartment had heard the rather loud noise, neither of them had paid much attention to it. First of all, they were much too tired and, also, it wasn't uncommon for kids and young teenagers to be climbing around on the roofs at even this time of night. It wouldn't surprise either Jondy or Molly in the least if it had been one of them who had fallen off the side of the building. Of course, they hoped otherwise.  
  
Jondy never could fall back asleep that night. She was much too concerned for Molly's well being. When she finally did start to drift into a light state of unconsciousness, her dreams were once again plagued by thoughts and memories from her childhood.   
  
Only this time, it was Molly who fell through the ice. 


	6. Close Encounters

Chapter Six  
  
The morning was cool. Despite the sweltering heat from the previous day, the temperature had managed to sufficiently decrease as the hours progressed until, at last, it had reached a comfortable setting in the mid-60's.   
  
Molly always had enjoyed her morning jogs more when the weather was like this. She knew it was a better workout overall if she sweated more, which she definitely did when it was hotter out, but she just felt more exhilarated and even energized. Molly was constantly on Jondy's case about getting out and jogging with her but Jondy just complained that her 'parents' had made her exercise enough as a kid to last her the rest of her life. Molly however could not figure out how Jondy could keep up the supposed excellent health that she always boasted about without ever exercising or eating healthy which Molly did both religiously.  
  
"Morning!" Molly called cheerfully to an older couple that seemed to be just finishing up the long trail through the woods. They both smiled but didn't offer any greeting in return.  
  
"Well, good morning to you too," Molly said under her breath after they had passed.  
  
As she traveled deeper into the dense forestry the slight morning fog grew noticeably denser and soon the only way Molly could tell which way she was going was by the trees that lined the narrow path like a high cut fence. She patted her back pocket for reassurance and felt better knowing her gun was nestled there tightly. Even though she was a cop and faced much more terrifying ordeals everyday, there was no knowing what kind of freaks were hanging out here at this time of the morning; just waiting for some unsuspecting person to come around the corner before they inflicted only God-knows-what upon him or her. You could never be too prepared.  
  
Nothing however could have prepared Molly for her visitor that morning.  
  
Out of nowhere the dark silhouette of a man appeared in front of Molly. She gasped in surprise as she nearly ran into him. Stumbling backwards, she nearly lost her footing but the man reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Molly looked up in suspicion at the man, her hand traveling around to her backside to rest lightly on her gun.  
  
"I wouldn't suggest firing that," he said, standing back a step, not because of the gun but so that he could see her better. Now Molly did draw her gun.   
  
"I'll only fire it if you give a reason to, dude," she replied smoothly. "Just walk away and we'll both have a great rest of the morning."  
  
Cole raised an eyebrow at this girl's confidence. She had no idea who she was dealing with.  
  
"Well, you see, Lieutenant, I plan on us both walking away. But first I have to relay a message from my superiors to you. Personally, I'm hoping you'll learn from it but I also know some people that would rather see you end up otherwise. You get what I'm saying?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Molly demanded impatiently, "Are you high?"  
  
Cole rolled his eyes before explaining himself, "Do you recall a conversation you had last night?"  
  
"I had a lot of conversations last night."  
  
"Yeah, but in this one you specifically said the magic word which is the reason I'm here. Does Manticore summon any memories?"  
  
Molly's jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she felt the first real jolt of fear since she'd ran into this guy. She'd only mentioned that name once yesterday and that had been in her conversion with Joanna. Right before they'd both heard the brick crash to the ground from someone being on the roof...  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Molly said firmly. Nevertheless, she could feel her confidence starting to diminish.  
  
"Sure you don't."  
  
Molly opened her mouth to disagree but Cole cut her off.  
  
"I'm here to tell you that Manticore has eyes and ears everywhere and right now they're rather pissed off at a certain San Diego police detective who seems to have got her hand caught in the cookie jar. I'm just hoping her hand isn't stuck in the cookie jar."  
  
"What exactly are you saying?" Molly asked.  
  
Cole took a step forward so Molly could see clearly into his brooding eyes. She raised her gun so it was pressed into his chest. He didn't back off.  
  
"I'm saying, Molly Diano, that you need to back off. Back off and forget you ever came across the name Manticore."  
  
"Why should I listen to you?"  
  
"If you what's good for you, you will. Otherwise, there is not one place on this planet where you will ever be safe again."  
  
  
  
With that, Cole slowly took a few steps backwards until he was hidden far enough in the mist to blur.  
  
Molly stood there on the path for some time, holding her gun with unsteady hands. She had never been shaken up by anybody before but this guy had been different. She truly believed him in that he'd said he was from Manticore, whatever the hell it was. She also believed that he was telling the truth about needing to stop probing but her ill-fated detective instincts were screaming for her to continue and to dig this secret out of whatever grave the government had so successfully managed to bury it in.   
  
As Molly quickly re-pocketed her weapon she made a resolve to be more careful from now on. A lot more careful.  
  
  
  
  
  
For a week everything was silent. Cole relayed to command that he was having a difficult time finding instances where he could effectively get rid of the "problem" without causing further disturbances in the Manticore's name. Although Lydecker sounded rather irritated about the situation he nevertheless told Cole to continue with the mission.   
  
In truth, X5-878 was simply waiting and hoping that Molly Diano would heed to his advice and steer clear of Manticore from then on. If she just continued with her regular police work then there would be no further orders to track her down. As far as Manticore knew, if all went as planned, Lieutenant Diano had a tombstone with her name on it already in the making by one of their own. She would no longer be of any bother. To anyone.  
  
In the meantime, Cole was enjoying very much his stay on the outside without anyone there to regulate his life. He'd gone back to Jondy and Molly's apartment a couple more times, mainly to check out Molly's activities but also to watch his friend of long ago.  
  
She still had some of the same habits that Cole had noticed when they were both kids. She repeatedly cracked her fingers when she was nervous, tapped her foot when she was mad or irritated, and she constantly rubbed the back of her neck where her barcode was hidden under waves of pale hair.   
  
These somewhat insignificant little quirks, however, only served to heighten Cole's awareness that this girl really was Jondy, an X5, and that he needed to be extra careful about sneaking around when she was about. And again, he didn't want her to know anything more than necessary about what was going on.   
  
So far at least, Molly seemed to feel the same way. She hadn't mentioned Manticore since the night Cole had overheard her and Jondy talking and, even after their little encounter at the park, she'd managed to keep her mouth shut.   
  
Cole guessed that she had figured pretty much the same way he did. Molly obviously knew that her life was in danger due to her investigative work and she didn't want Jondy to have to share that danger with her. At least she was being smart about something. Cole found it rather ironic though. Molly didn't want Jondy in danger from a Manticore assassin when, in reality, Jondy was the only one person that could save her if that assassin actually had to come after her.  
  
All seemed to be going well until Cole spotted something out of the ordinary on Molly's desk at home; one airline ticket to South Africa. Under it was a manila envelope that was marked 'CLASSIFIED'. Cole held his breath as he picked up the envelope and took out the contents within, hoping it would have nothing to do with what he dreaded it did. The first sheet was enough to confirm his suspicion.   
  
The rest of the fillings consisted of several emails sent back and forth between Molly and a man in Africa that were discussing what they knew of Manticore. The man, Sakir, confirmed to Molly that he knew exactly what the secret operation was but that it was too dangerous to discuss over open mail. He was the one who had sent her the ticket. Unfortunately, it seemed from looking in her agenda, that she indeed was planning to take him up on his offer.   
  
Cole stood there for several minutes conjuring up a plan to get out of this one. Well, more like get Molly out of this one. Once he had a plan sufficiently worked up in his mind, he pulled out his cell phone and pressed 1.  
  
"State your designation," was the immediate reply on the other end.  
  
"X5-878," Cole answered, used to the usual procedures. There was a brief few minutes before the person on the other line continued. Cole knew they were checking to make sure it was his voice over the computer.  
  
"Transferring to Colonel Lydecker."  
  
The phone beeped and then Lydecker came on.  
  
"What have you got to report, soldier?"  
  
"Sir, the target is in my scope but I've managed to obtain additional information on her activities that points to further parties knowing of Manticore's existence. Request permission to continue to trail her until I know the identities of these parties." Cole held his breath.  
  
After a pause, Lydecker talked, "Permission granted."  
  
Cole let out his sigh but made sure it wasn't loud enough for his commander to hear.  
  
"878?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"What is the name of the target? That seems to be a aspect you neglected to convey on your last report."  
  
Cole closed is eyes in frustration. He couldn't lie. They would find out if he did.   
  
"Lieutenant Molly Diano, sir."   
  
"Very good. Report in once you've obtained the sought information. And you better not mess this one up, soldier."  
  
"Yes, sir!" replied the X5. After he hung up he cursed out loud. This was going to be harder than he'd originally intended.   
  
Suddenly, he heard the squeak of the un-oiled door open and the soft footsteps of someone coming in. He immediately looked for a place to hide.  
  
By the time Jondy got to the office there was no trace that anybody else was there. She began rummaging around the office, much as Cole had just been doing, and it didn't take her long to find the ticket and envelope also. Her eyes grew wide with fear and a little bit of irritation as she reviewed the contents of the package.  
  
"You're going to get yourself killed, Molly," she said softly to the empty room, well, at least she thought it was empty. Cole watched her silently from the closet, keeping his breathing to a minimum since he knew she would be able to hear it if he breathed normally.   
  
He observed the mix of emotions that flitted across her delicate face and was somewhat distraught to see the sudden look of determination that settled in her eyes. Her face, almost at once, went from being that of a normal woman, with the regular amount of personal problems, to that of someone that she had been fighting to break free of since before she could remember.  
  
The feelings that had been so obviously there a few moments ago were now nothing but an all too familiar mask of hard, un-feeling features that Cole knew he often wore himself. The only difference was her eyes. Whereas X5-878 had cold, brooding eyes that saw nothing ahead for him in life, Jondy, X5-509, had eyes that showed her strength and her lust for life that had managed to keep her alive and just one step ahead of her enemies all these years.   
  
Until now.  
  
She left after a few minutes and Cole came out of the cramped space he'd been hiding in. He knew exactly what Jondy was planning. She was going to follow Molly. She was going to follow Molly and put herself smack dab in the middle of his well forged plan and completely mess things up.  
  
Looks like we'll get a proper introduction after all, Cole thought darkly. Then he left.  
  
  
  
Jondy didn't confront Molly until the night Molly told her she was leaving.   
  
"I thought you were going to drop that case?" Jondy said casually, pretending not to show much interest. She was now in the full throttle of her X5 training.  
  
"Well, I was until I had an extremely interesting little run-on with someone that none too tactfully warned me off. That just made me want to go after it more. Only a lot more carefully."  
  
Jondy didn't show it, but her senses immediately jumped to high alert when Molly said this. You don't just have 'run-ins" with people from Manticore. They found you. And not just anybody found you either, X5s did.  
  
"So how long are you going to be gone?"  
  
Molly shrugged, "I don't know. Probably not too long. I just need to talk to some guy then I'll be on my way back. Hopefully with a lot more knowledge in my head."  
  
"Well, good luck then. I'll try not to mess up the apartment too much while you're gone," Jondy joked lightheartedly. Molly smiled back. Jondy wasn't the best housekeeper in the world and her roommate constantly reminded her of it.   
  
"Promise me to not to burn it down and I think I'll feel okay about leaving."  
  
Jondy pretended to wrestle with the option before nodding her head.  
  
When Molly left on the aircraft that night she was not alone. Unbeknownst to her, she had two X5 escorts both in other parts of the plane. Jondy of course didn't know of the third-part either whom was hiding out in the steerage section while Molly and Jondy both sat in second-class on separate ends of the plane.  
  
As the flight slowly dragged out, all three pondered on what to do when they got there. Molly's thoughts, of course, consisted of finding Sarik while Jondy tried to figure out a way to make Molly drop the case for good without exposing herself completely.   
  
Lastly, there was Cole. His mind was spinning with ideas of how to get Molly and Jondy out of this situation alive and free. As before, he was determined to go through with his plan and there was nothing and no one that could stop him from making sure they both lived to see another sunrise.   
  
Even if he didn't make it out alive, they would. 


	7. A Reunion of Sorts

Chapter Seven  
  
Something about the whole situation immediately felt wrong to Jondy. The moment that Molly first made contact with a man to escort her to Sakir, there seemed to be more than one thing amiss. First of all, the contact was extremely soldier-like in his stance and, if she hadn't known better, Jondy would have guessed him to be X5. Only he was way to old, somewhere in his mid-forties, and the back of hi neck, which was well exposed, contained no barcode. Nevertheless, it didn't seem right.  
  
Jondy followed a ways back, struggling to keep up in the broken down car she'd rented in a hurry from the airport. They'd been driving for nearly an hour now, and she was afraid that the car was going to quit on her very soon by the way the engine continually coughed and made other abnormal sounds.  
  
They drove for a few more miles before the limo Molly was in took a sudden turn onto a side dirt road. Jondy drove past about a half a mile and stopped the pile of junk she was driving. She got out of the car and started running.   
  
She guessed that this guy Sakir must be pretty secretive the way he made someone else pick up his guest and then drive her to the middle of nowhere. More than likely there would be guards waiting at the entrance so Jondy figured she'd have a much easier time getting past on foot rather than in a car that could surely be heard within a two mile radius of where it was. Now if only she got there in time.  
  
Cole however had figured out an easier way to follow Molly. He'd gotten off the plane before either her or Jondy and he'd knocked out and then dressed up as the limo driver, careful to make sure he had sunglasses on since Molly had seen him before.   
  
The big, burly guy had paid no attention to him as they'd let Cole load Molly's luggage and open the doors for them. Now they were driving along a route that was shown on the car's GPS system, luckily for Cole, and neither occupant in the back had been yet to say a single word.  
  
Cole kept himself on high alert as they finally pulled into a long, circular driveway and up to a house that could have been almost an exact duplication of the old White House. Just in the wrong country. He let his two passengers out and started to pick up Molly's bag for her but she insisted on carrying it herself. Cole, careful to keep his face down, complied and watched them go up the stairs into the house.   
  
As soon as the door shut he jumped into action. He ran to the side of the house, shed the tight, uncomfortable suit, and changed back into his regular clothing that consisted of black jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt, which adhered tautly to the muscular curves of his chest and arms.   
  
Cole glanced around and found what he was looking for. On the side of the mansion there was a small balcony jutting out on the second story. He backed up a few steps before getting a running start and jumping effortlessly upwards onto the terrace.   
  
He ducked down and peered inside, his enhanced eyes already used to the completely black view. It appeared to be a bedroom but the furnishings were entirely different than the exterior of the home would lead people to believe. There was nothing but a small bed covered with a tattered brown blanket, a dresser that was missing three of it's five drawers, and a murky, cracked mirror on the far wall of the room.   
  
Cole stepped inside and silently looked around. The only other aspect of any significance he found amongst the repulsiveness was a corner of the room that seemed permanently stained with blood. Not a large spot that would be easily recognizable for someone merely taking a fleeting look around but, instead, several small, dark blemishes that Cole knew instantly to be blood.   
  
Maybe this was the room they gave to their guests, Cole thought, his dark humor not seeming very funny at the moment.   
  
Cole opened the door slowly, only moving it out enough to be able to hear what was going on down-stairs.   
  
He could hear a man talking with a distinct African accent. He guessed that was Sarik.  
  
"...thought you were coming with some of your own information. I wasn't aware that I led you to believe that I'd just give out information for free. No, my dear, that just wouldn't be right. You see I've worked so very hard for what I know and I can't be letting the whole world in on the secret. You do understand, I hope."  
  
Molly answered, her voice sounding none too happy at the moment.  
  
"You never told me once that you wanted to make an exchange of information, Mr. Sarik. You specifically told me that you knew what Manticore was and that you were flying me here to tell me."  
  
"Hmm," Sarik replied, "Did I?"  
  
"Yes, you did!" Molly was practically shouting now and Cole hoped that Mr. Sarik didn't have a bad temper. Something about his voice told Cole to be weary of him. Suddenly he sensed movement and heard the distinct sounds of one...two...three guns being cocked. He leaned in and listened intently, ready to jump into action.  
  
"Check her for a barcode!" Sarik commanded. The heavy footsteps of the big escort could be heard crossing the room.  
  
"What?" Molly asked in disbelief, "A barcode? You think I'm some kind of assembly line product or something?"  
  
She grunted as she was shoved over and her neck checked.   
  
"She's not one of them," Big Guy reported.   
  
Sarik and Cole cursed at the same time, only one of them was out loud and the other silent. Now Cole knew why Sarik had been so anxious to bring her here. He'd assumed that Manticore was too classified for any run-of-the-mill cop to tap into so he had decided that Molly was an undercover X5, attempting to undo some of Manticore's enemies. The ironic thing was, Cole would have never been led to find out about these guys, whoever they were, if it weren't for Sarik making that mistake. And now Molly was in the middle of it all.  
  
"Okay, I would completely love to know just why the hell you are pointing guns at me, checking me for a barcode of all things, and saying I'm 'not one of them'? I thought I was your guest! Is this how all hospitality is in this country? Because I'd like you to know that it sucks!"  
  
Cole willed Molly to shut up and keep her temper in check. She was only digging herself a deeper hole.  
  
"Put her up in the guest room," Sarik commanded, his tone once again smooth and under control, "We'll discuss this more tomorrow, Miss Diano."  
  
Cole immediately sunk back into the shadows of the room and disappeared over the side of the balcony. He didn't actually go over the side however; instead he let himself hang there until he was sure that no one was coming in the room. He pulled himself back up and walked across the room.  
  
Putting his ear to the door he listened to the footsteps and voices for several minutes until he had figured out how far away and how many people were in the house, minus him and Molly. Five on the first floor and three upstairs. Normally that would be absolutely no problem but he also knew that at least three, probably more were armed and he was also going to be dragging Molly along with him on the way out.   
  
As he mentally prepared himself to go, he suddenly realized he had no idea where Jondy was. Things would go a lot easier if she were here to help him. Then again, she might rather shoot him first and then go along with everything herself. Oh, well.  
  
Cole leapt into action.  
  
He treaded softly out of the room and down the hall in the direction that they'd taken Molly. He came to a room on the other end of the house where he could hear her distinct voice; only now she wasn't saying words, she was grunting as if she was gagged.   
  
"Here goes nothing," Cole whispered.  
  
He kicked open the door and was greeted by an unexpected sight. Molly was indeed gagged but she was also tied to a table where it appeared one of the two men in the room were planning to take off her pants as his hands were grasping the cuffs of her jeans. All three of them looked at him in surprise.   
  
Molly's eyes widened as she recognized Cole. The other two had much more violent reactions to their uninvited guest. The first one came at him with rage in his eyes and Cole was surprised when the punch the guy landed actually caused him to stagger backwards under the blow.   
  
Without delay, Cole sent a flurry of kicks and blows back at him. The man seemed to barely feel them for he continued to advance on Cole using the same fighting techniques that Cole would guess a heavyweight boxer would. He was rather slow but he was incredibly strong.  
  
Even stronger than an X5.   
  
It was time for more desperate measures. Cole grabbed the gun from the guy's pocket, surprised it hadn't already been used on him, and fired two quick shots into his opponent's left thigh. The guy collapsed to the ground from the initial shock the wounds had given him physically but was almost instantly back to his feet. Cole cursed as he saw two more men running up the stairs.   
  
"Let's go gun happy," Cole said to himself.  
  
He started shooting as fast as his trigger finger could press down, which was very fast, but this time he wasn't shooting to wound. He was shooting to kill. He managed to fell his first adversary with a shot to the throat and another with one to the upper chest but the third had been bright enough to bring his own gun with him.  
  
Cole barely dodged a low bullet that came hurdling toward him. He crouched and shot and the same instant the other did. He watched in triumph as his bullet met it's mark.   
  
He stood up and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower arm. He looked down and saw his shirt was saturated in blood. He hadn't even noticed he'd been shot until now. Cole suddenly heard Molly scream against her gag. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind as he'd been trained to do in battle and blurred to the room.  
  
Cole stopped when he saw the sight that met his eyes. The last man had Molly standing against him with a large knife pressed to her throat. She looked at Cole in fear, not knowing if he would help her or not.  
  
"Drop your gun!" the man yelled, pressing the knife against Molly's skin to the point that it drew a droplet of blood. She whimpered pitifully.  
  
Cole lifted his hands in the air and slowly placed the weapon on the floor. He tensed as he saw Sakir walking casually towards them, seeming not to care as he stepped amongst the crumpled bodies of his companions.   
  
"That was impressive, I must say. Miss Diano didn't tell us she was bringing any friends along. Especially not one as interesting as you."  
  
"She doesn't even know who I am you idiot," Cole replied in a sinister voice, "All she did was lead me to you guys."  
  
Sakir raised an eyebrow but his expression grew somewhat angry at the insult.  
  
"And why would you want to be led to us?" he asked.  
  
"I just happened to hear that there was someone out there with some information in their heads that shouldn't really be there. Thought I'd come and try and knock some sense into them," Cole paused to see Sakir's features grow dark with rage at realizing his mistake, "So do tell, is it working?"  
  
Cole didn't allow Sakir time to respond. To fast for either man to react to he kicked Sakir in the head, sending him to the ground unconscious, and then grabbed the hilt of the knife, tearing it away from Molly and sent it back to plunge into the other's man's chest.   
  
Molly stumbled back against the wall and looked up at Cole in terror as he came towards her.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you," Cole explained, "But I hope you've learned a lesson by now."  
  
Molly nodded furiously, her mouth to dry from panic to speak. Cole grabbed her arm and they ran down and the stairs and out of house as fast as Molly's speed would allow.   
  
"Get in the car!" he commanded her once they'd reached the driveway. She did so without hesitation and Cole joined her on the driver's side. The tires squealed and rubber burned as he slammed the gas pedal to the floor. They took off in a squall of dust and flying pebbles down the road.   
  
"How'd you do that?" Molly asked after about thirty minutes of silence.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"You know. Beat those guys like that and fight like you did? I've never seen someone move so fast! That was amazing!"  
  
Cole rolled his eyes. Even after all that had gone down she was still as inquisitive as ever.  
  
"Did you ever hear the saying, curiosity killed the cat?" he replied.  
  
He smiled slightly as he could see her cheeks redden in the rear-view mirror.  
  
"Why did you come after me?" she asked after several more minutes.  
  
"I have my reasons," Cole answered, his tone unrevealing.   
  
As they came upon a gas station along the side of the road, Cole realized they were very low on gas. He didn't particularly want to stop but, if he didn't refill the tank soon, the car would stop for good.  
  
"Stay in the car," he directed Molly. She consented with a nod.  
  
Cole stepped out and looked around. Only one person was inside the store, watching him expectantly as if he suspected he was about to get robbed. Other than that, all seemed to be fine.  
  
He had just put the nozzle into the gas tank when suddenly something came flying at him, sending him sprawling to the gravel away from the car. Cole jumped to his feet and was neither happy nor unhappy to see that it was a someone that had hit him rather than a something. Jondy.  
  
She stood there, looking like a demon out of Hell, her fists clenched to the point that her knuckles were white and her face malicious. Molly, who heard the loud crash and grunt from Cole, jumped out of the car and looked about ready to faint when she saw her friend standing there.  
  
"Joanna?" she exclaimed is disbelief. Jondy didn't even look her way.  
  
"So, 'Philip', what brings you to this part of the world?" Jondy's voice was practically dripping with venom.  
  
Cole had the terrible urge to simply drop the whole charade he'd planned out and tell Jondy everything. But he knew she would never be free if he did that.  
  
"Well I couldn't let those guys have all the fun with your nosy friend," he retorted, "You and I have acquaintances that are much more interested in what she has to say."  
  
Jondy's pale eyes nearly boiled over with revulsion. She attacked suddenly and with a passion that could only come from her immeasurable hatred for Manticore.   
  
Cole fought back but with only the bare amount of moves needed to keep himself looking credible. What he didn't plan on though unpredictably came next.  
  
He kicked out at Jondy who went against her proper training, grabbed his ankle, twisted it around in mid-air, and sent a cast-iron chop to the back of his knee. Cole cried out as he felt and heard the bone snap in his leg before he collapsed to the ground in a mist of pain. He looked up and saw Jondy staring down at him. Her expression sent chills down his spine.  
  
"Jo," Molly called out un-expectantly. She walked slowly up behind Jondy. Jondy didn't look up but the way she seemed to suddenly snap back to reality was enough for Molly to keep speaking.  
  
"Joanna, he saved me from those men," she said softly.  
  
"No, Molly," Jondy replied harshly, "Where he was taking you would have only been worse. Trust me."  
  
Before anyone else could talk they all heard the distant sound of sirens coming toward them.   
  
"Jo, come on let's go. Before they get here," Molly's voice was pleading now; devoid of the curiosity it'd contained only several minutes ago.   
  
Jondy looked down at the ground and let out a long breath. She looked directly at Cole, "You're not worth my time," she spat.  
  
She turned to walk away but froze when she heard Cole's quiet words behind her.  
  
"You always did fight dirty, Jondy."  
  
Jondy met eyes with Cole, her features saturated with horror. No one had called her that name in years. No one but Zack, and this definitely wasn't him.   
  
"Who are you?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer. Cole looked at the ground.  
  
"No one worth wasting your time on," he said softly, his tone truthful.  
  
Jondy seemed torn between what to do as Molly called her name again and the sirens got louder.  
  
"Go," Cole directed, his voice more forceful than it'd been minute ago.  
  
"But..." she said.  
  
"Go!"  
  
Jondy took one last glance at the mysterious figure lying on the ground before leaping into the car with Molly and zooming off into the night.   
  
But she couldn't help but look in the mirrors one last time as she went.  
  
"I'll find you again," she whispered so quietly that not even Molly could hear her on the passenger's side.  
  
"I promise." 


	8. Who Are You?

A/N: For all my normal readers (and anyone else that happens to get this far) I mentioned Max in the summary as a test to see if that will get more people to check the story out. Don't worry! I wasn't lying. Max will be in the story later but it might be a little while yet. Tootles~~~  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Jondy and Molly didn't speak for the entire time they remained in the car. After leaving the gas station Jondy drove like the devil himself was on their heels and she didn't slow down in the least until they had put at least fifty miles behind them.   
  
Molly sat silently, pretending to watch out the side window but, in truth, she had to keep glancing back at her friend every so often. She had just witnessed a part of Joanna that she never knew existed. Just the fact that she had shown up there was enough to astound Molly but seeing Joanna fight her mysterious rescuer and win put her at a loss for words altogether. What was going on here?  
  
Sweet, gentle, somewhat lazy Joanna had a moment ago displayed the same super-human traits that Molly had only just seen someone else do with no obvious explanation to clarify them. And then there was another thing. When Molly had saw her friend's face when Manticore was mentioned. She had seen something there that ran deeper than any emotion Molly had ever known.   
  
Obviously that word wasn't as foreign to her and she feigned.   
  
On the other side of the car Jondy had her own thoughts racing through her head. Who was that X5? How had he known her name? The possibility that one of the '09 escapees had been caught and re-indoctrinated had indeed crossed her mind more than once but she simply couldn't accept that conclusion. When Jondy had looked back into his eyes they'd looked so sad. Not the cold, lifeless eyes of a true Manticore assassin but eyes of a real, feeling human being. Sad but in perfect control. As if he'd planned the whole thing...   
  
Jondy suddenly cursed herself as she began to realize it was all planned out. He'd ran into her, followed Molly, more than likely spied on both of them numerous times, and mapped at the entire extensive plan until they'd all ended up here, tonight.   
  
Now that she thought about it, Jondy realized something else too. While fighting, she had simply thought that perhaps he wasn't the top of Manticore's game, but then again he had just taken out nearly ten armed men back at the mansion. He hadn't been fighting back on purpose. He'd wanted Jondy to win. But why?  
  
Jondy was shaken out of her reverie by a bright light slowly coming into view a couple miles in front of them. She zoomed in on the light and saw it was the flashing sign of an old, broken down hotel. Just what she was looking for.   
  
She didn't say anything as she parked and left the car briefly to get a room and key. Molly already was ready to go inside, holding her bag and standing soundlessly on the side of the limo.  
  
"Here's the key," Jondy said, tossing it to Molly who caught it just barely.  
  
"Aren't you coming in?" she asked timidly. Jondy cringed at the almost frightened tone Molly's voice.  
  
"Yeah, I've got to do something first though. Don't let anybody in unless you're sure it's me. Alright?"  
  
Molly nodded and started walking briskly up to the second story room. Once she was safely inside, Jondy turned her attention to the oversized car. The police would surely be searching for the vehicle so leaving it sitting here was definitely not an option.   
  
Jondy drove another two miles down the road before she came along side a fairly good-sized ditch. She got out and, once again summoning her X5 strength, pushed the limo easily into the trench. She spent about a half an hour positioning it further in the water and wiping it down for fingerprints and other identifying articles that the policemen were bound to find. Finally satisfied, Jondy ran back to the motel.  
  
It took some time for Jondy to thoroughly convince her friend that it was her in order to be let into the room but she was glad at the same time that Molly was finally taking all this seriously.  
  
Jondy sank down into a chair and breathed out a sigh of exhaustion. Not from the physical activities of the evening but from the emotional toll it had taken on her. And she knew that it wasn't over yet.  
  
"Joanna?"  
  
Jondy looked up into Molly's questioning face. She motioned for her to sit down on the bed.  
  
"I guess you want to know what the hell went on tonight, huh?"  
  
Molly seemed to visibly relax as some of the usual tone returned to Jondy's voice.   
  
"Well," she replied, "I'll have to admit it was a little strange."  
  
Jondy smiled weakly.  
  
"What I'm about to tell you is more than a little strange, my friend. Actually, it's a lot."  
  
Jondy paused briefly; realizing the immense responsibility of knowing what she was about to tell Molly could change her friend's life for better or for worse. Most likely for the worse. Nevertheless, after all that had gone down tonight, she deserved to know.   
  
Cole woke up in a small room consisting of only four blank, white walls and the examining table he was tied to. For a fleeting instant he thought he was back in Manticore but then the recollection of all of the earlier happenings of the night caught up to him and his mind turned elsewhere.   
  
This definitely was not a typical African prison. After the Pulse, the United States had discontinued their support of the already famished third-world continent, which, in result, experienced one of the greatest food crises to have ever occurred. To sum it up, it all went to hell.   
  
Eventually a new government had been established, which wasn't much of one to speak of, but if anything the situation had only gotten worse. The government was power-mad, cruel, and intolerant to its citizens. The death penalty was issued at the slightest infraction and there was no one that could speak up to stop it. And then there were the prisons.   
  
Cole had gathered from his numerous intelligence classes at Manticore that the prisons here correlated greatly to those of the medieval days. There had even been an X5 a few years ago that was caught while on a mission in Africa and had only returned in several different pieces; greatly mutilated at that.   
  
This room though spoke of something extremely dissimilar.   
  
Trying to lift his head up Cole discovered that it too was secured tightly to the metal table. Keenly aware of the already increasing ache in his injured leg, he made sure not to pull that one but could tell that it, along with his other limbs, shared the same fate.   
  
The bone had obviously been set some time while he was unconscious. He could no longer feel the cracked bones scraping against each other like he could immediately following the sever. That was the reason he'd passed out after all. Just sitting on the ground had been bad enough but when the policeman had started moving Cole the pain had been unbearable.  
  
The sudden sound of footsteps brought the X5's senses back to alert mode. He knew that there wasn't really all that much he could do at the moment but the first rule of escape was to be familiar with your surroundings and all who was involved in them. And he intended to do just that.  
  
With a swish of well-oiled hinges, the door swung open and someone walked into the room. Even though Cole couldn't see his caller he could identify by the steps that it was a man, slightly overweight, and with a minor limp in his left foot. Nothing could have prepared Cole for whose face appeared over him though.   
  
He'd assumed by the secrecy of the meeting and the hidden house that Mr.Sakir ran a covert operation and that he'd be as far away from the authorities as humanly possible with the first indication of trouble. Apparently that wasn't the case.  
  
"So how, pray tell, did a girl of Molly Diano's size beat an X5 and inflict this kind of damage?" Sakir started with obvious satisfaction in his voice. Cole played it cool.  
  
"Guess I wasn't up to the fight," he replied callously, "It doesn't appear your nose was either." Cole added this last phrase with his own tone of smugness at Sakir's visibly broken nose. Sakir frowned.  
  
"Are all of you back at Manticore this cocky?" he said as he walked out of Cole's line of vision. Cole could hear him tampering with some kind of utensils across the room. He continued, " I though you were trained to be cold-blood killers that have absolutely no emotions. What's your story?"  
  
"I got in trouble a lot," Cole countered slowly, telling the truth for once, "So you obviously know who I am, you wouldn't mind sharing your tale would you?"  
  
  
  
Sakir came into his view again, holding a syringe in one of his gloved hands. He thrust it in the vain in Cole's arm before answering.  
  
"I run an organization. Our primary purpose is to help position Africa to her proper place in the world. I discovered a way to make super-soldiers, the same way Manticore did, only it's not embedded in the genes nor is it permanent," he removed the syringe, full with a sample of Cole's blood, " You see the problem I'm having is that anyone injected with the implant will die within a matter of weeks, sometimes even days. It's just too much for the human body to handle."  
  
"So where does Manticore come into all this?" Cole asked, wondering what this man was driving at.  
  
"About a year ago I happened to stumble across some very interesting information on the web. I knew that it would be the solution to my problem only I didn't have any specifics to base further research off. I think you know the information I found. But anyways, I dug up as much as I could until I found out about twelve rogue X5's that were living on the outside. A perfect opportunity!"  
  
Cole's blood turned cold at the mention of the rogues but he continued to listen.  
  
"It wasn't until two months ago that I successfully located one of the twelve living in Seattle, Washington. So I sent up two of my men, both with the implants, to retrieve her," his voice grew more chilling, "Only then did I realize the true power of your kind."  
  
"What happened?" Cole asked, almost afraid to ask.  
  
"The first one was killed in a automobile accident, a semi truck actually, but the second was close to bringing her down. She was no match. But then she got smart. I still am perplexed as to how, but she managed to obtain an implant. She used it and won and, somehow, managed to survive. A feat that no normal human being has yet been able to achieve. My man died of course but he was also implanted with a micro-camera that showed us everything that happened. The girl would be here now if not for her figuring out how to turn the tracer off."  
  
"Can I see what she looked like?"  
  
Sakir smiled a smile that sent shivers down Cole's spine. He walked away briefly and returned with a large photo in his hand. Cole's eyes grew wide as it was held over his face.  
  
He knew instantly who it was. Max. The youngest of them all and also the one most likely to do something as stupid as inject herself with a killer implant.   
  
The photograph, coming from Sakir's employee's line of vision, showed a girl with a mask of fury on her face, arms raised in defense, and her dark, curly hair suspended in every direction across her head. But that wasn't what made Cole cringe. Out of her bloodshot eyes were streaks of blood, streaming like tears down her cheeks and over her nose and mouth. She was truly the weapon she'd been bred to be, if not more.  
  
Cole took a breath and breathed it out slowly.  
  
"So what now?" he asked finally, "Stick me with one of those and make me as satanic looking as her?"  
  
"Eventually," Sakir replied nonchalantly, "But first we have to figure out what makes you tick; just exactly how Manticore made you the way you are. Only when I understand why the implant doesn't kill your kind will you be of any use to me."  
  
"What if I can't survive the implant?"  
  
"I wouldn't fret. We are quite positive about the other's survival. She had been recuperated for a couple days before the tracer stopped sending its signal."  
  
"You haven't been doing your homework very well, have you Sakir?" Cole responded, not letting the queasiness he was feeling now be heard in his voice, "All the X5s were made with different combinations of DNA. I know for a fact that she doesn't have the same cocktail as I do, or as any of the others do for that matter. Your implant might have a completely different effect on me than it did her. And since you don't know why she survived it..." he let the question drift off, hoping he'd gotten his point across.  
  
When Sakir finally replied, his tone of voice no longer contained any of the conversationalist manners it'd had before. Now it was a cold and professional, much like Lydecker's.  
  
"Then we'll just have to start from scratch then, won't we?"  
  
Cole shuddered inwardly and hoped that Jondy and Molly had met a healthier fate than him.   
  
Only a few dozen miles away, both young women were still talking. Molly had taken Jondy's story fairly well, surprisingly, and had been asking questions nonstop ever since.   
  
Jondy, although it seemed extremely strange to be talking about this to anyone besides Zack, actually felt somewhat relieved to have finally told someone the truth about herself. It felt as if the thick, steel door that had so long separated her from the rest of the world had been opened. Perhaps this was her first true step into humanity.  
  
"What about the guy tonight?" Molly asked carefully, knowing she was on a sensitive subject since Jondy was obviously embarrassed to have shown her hidden side to a friend.  
  
Jondy looked down.  
  
"I don't know," she answered softly, "He seemed to be pure Manticore but..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"He what?" her friend prodded gently.  
  
"You know how I told you that none of us have names there, only numbers?" Molly nodded, "Well my unit secretly gave names to each other. Mine was...is Jondy. No one but Zack, our CO, has called me that in years. I haven't even seen any of the others, actually. But the X5 tonight, he called me Jondy right as we were leaving. Yet he never turned me in. And you have to understand; the others and me have been the top of Manticore's priority list ever since we escaped. To find one of the '09ers and not bring them in would be considered treason," Jondy took a breath, "The thing I don't understand is how he knew my name. Unless he's one of my unit," her voice grew softer still, "One that didn't make it out that night. And I didn't know about it all these years..."  
  
Jondy turned her head away as she wiped a tear from her face. She continued talking.  
  
"You don't know what he would have had to go through all this time to be able to keep his humanity."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Jondy closed her eyes as memories flooded her mind.  
  
"Manticore has ways," she explained in a choked voice, " to persuade you into doing exactly what they want. They can make you forget who you are and what you are so that all you care about is getting the job done."  
  
Jondy turned back to face Molly.  
  
"I should have helped him, Molly. Whatever he's done was to keep you and I safe from Manticore. Now he's helpless in the hands of the enemy. And it's all my fault."  
  
As Jondy cried softly into Molly's shoulder they both knew that they were thinking the same thing. They had to find him.  
  
Before it was too late. 


	9. Six Days

Chapter Nine  
  
For X5-878, the next several days passed by in a blur. The main reason for that being Sakir kept him drugged the majority of the time but, even for the brief instances when Cole's mind cleared enough to produce any rational thought, he simply reflected upon other things and endeavored to completely forget his current surroundings.   
  
So far, at least as Cole could tell, nothing had been done to except blood work and other internal research that required no actual cooperation from him. He knew however, the way Sakir had spoken, that there was much more to come. And Cole, amidst his drug induced trance, also knew that it would not be pleasant.  
  
As he lay there, silently wondering what his captor had in store for him, his thoughts unintentionally traveled back to Jondy.  
  
Even if she didn't know exactly who he was, Cole had made it obvious to her that they knew each other in their pasts and that he was, once upon a time, her "brother".   
  
How she must hate him now, Cole thought bitterly.   
  
She probably hated him as much as he hated himself. For not being strong enough.   
  
For not fighting back against their most hated enemies.   
  
Instead, he became one of them.  
  
'Traitor. Rat. Turncoat. Defector. Rogue. Parasite.'  
  
These words flashed suddenly across Cole's memory. For months after the escape he and the other X5s had undergone intensive brainwashing to make certain that each one of them were not to do the same thing.   
  
One X5 had convinced himself otherwise though. And he still remembered those words every single time he complied with Manticore's orders.   
  
'Traitor... Traitor... Traitor...'  
  
Molly sat next to the window, her knees pulled to her chest in an attempt to stay warm. It would seem that they'd managed to arrive during the continent's several month long rainy season and this motel had no heat at all.  
  
For the last six days she and Jondy had been moving around every twelve hours or so, going from place to place and barely getting settled into one motel room before moving on to a new one.   
  
Jondy had explained to her that it was called the evasion method and the only sure way to avoid detection by the authorities that were surely looking for them by now.  
  
As of yet, Jondy had achieved no success whatsoever in uncovering the location of the mysterious X5. As much as Molly hated to admit it, she believed that there was no way they were going to find him if the police didn't want him found. Of course, she would never mention this to her friend who seemed extremely adamant in her search, but she thought it futile nevertheless.  
  
Just then the door opened and Jondy came walking through briskly, her hair darkened a shade from the rain that had sufficiently soaked it through.  
  
Molly had noticed an obvious change in Jondy during the last week. She never before had been so serious and resolute about anything and, emotionally, she seemed to have aged at least thirty years. Whereas before she had acted like any other twenty year-old, now she seemed like a seasoned war veteran that had been hardened by many years of combat.   
  
And in a sense she was just that.  
  
"What's up?" Molly asked.  
  
"I may have a lead on something," Jondy replied distractedly, not looking up as she dug around in the backpack she'd been carrying.  
  
"And?"  
  
Jondy pulled a packet out and tossed it to Molly.   
  
Molly quickly opened it up and her heart sank when she realized what it was.  
  
"There's only one ticket in here."  
  
"That's because I'm not going back. Not yet at least," Jondy replied; now watching Molly with full attention.  
  
"I thought you said it was too dangerous to risk using the airports right now," Molly argued although she knew it was a waste of breath.  
  
"You're not going on the main airlines. I found an old friend that helped me a long time ago. He said he could fly you out on his private plane."  
  
"But you can't land a private plane in the U.S. anymore," Molly really was confused now. Jondy looked at the floor and then it started to dawn on her.  
  
"I'm not going back to the U.S. am I?" she asked.  
  
"Molly," Jondy attempted to explain, "I can't send you back. I know Manticore better than anyone. They'll never stop looking for you. They'll find you and they'll kill you," her voice quieted, "Going back would be a death sentence and I can't be responsible for any more blood on my hands."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Jondy sighed.  
  
"You know how I said you were the first person I ever told about me?" Molly nodded silently.   
  
Jondy continued, "Well, that's not entirely true. When I first got out a man and his son took me in, thinking I was just a runaway or an orphan. Eventually I told them the truth. Then one day the son, Steph, and I came home and found the house burning. The newspapers called it a freak accident, that Steph's dad had fallen asleep while the stove was on or something. But I know that wasn't what happened. So I took Steph to Canada and found him a family to adopt him. When I was sure he'd be okay, I left and didn't look back. I hadn't told anybody else since then. I wouldn't have ever told you either."  
  
Molly looked at the floor; ashamed she'd brought out more painful secrets that Jondy obviously did not care to talk of.  
  
"I understand," she relented, "but I'm still worried about you," Molly paused for a second, undecided as to whether she should say what she really thought or not.   
  
"I can take care of myself, Molly. I've been doing it for eleven years."  
  
"I know...that's not exactly what I'm worried about."  
  
"Well, then what?" Jondy queried.  
  
"It's the government here. Being a cop I'm pretty familiar with the system in this country as well and, I'm telling you, we seem like angels compared to the Africans."  
  
Jondy sighed, "I've heard the rumors. And, yes, they probably are all mostly true. It still doesn't change anything."  
  
Molly defiantly continued, "Joa-...Jondy... in all probability he's already dead. I've never once heard of anyone lasting through more than a couple days of their methods over here. And as soon as he broke they would have no reason to keep him alive."  
  
Jondy shook her head slowly, absently wiping a strand of wet hair from her face and brushing it behind her ear.  
  
"He won't break. He can't. None of us can."  
  
Molly didn't say anything but her questioning gaze was enough for Jondy to continue on.  
  
"We were taught techniques to withstand torture, no matter what the kind. And believe me, the African's methods are nothing like what Manticore taught us about. Here it's completely physically based. They have nothing at all that relies on the psychological means of it. If, and may I emphasize the 'if', he breaks it won't be for months and maybe even years. That gives me plenty of time to find him still. And I intent to take full advantage of that."  
  
"I'm starting to get this weird vibe that arguing with you doesn't do much good, does it?" Molly said dryly, crossing her arms in mock annoyance. Jondy smiled slightly.  
  
"Nope. No good at all."  
  
The following morning Cole knew something was different. As a habit he never opened his eyes immediately after awakening; he first always took several minutes to listen and observe with all his other senses until he had at least a vague idea of where he was. When you were constantly on the brink of getting killed by an enemy it was a good practice to follow. Just in case.  
  
For the last few times he'd woken up he'd heard the familiar hum of machines and quiet footsteps against the tiled hallway outside his room. He'd been able to only barely move his fingers and slide them over the smooth metal surface of the surgical table he was secured to tightly by thick bonds, having a texture that had surely come straight out of the Middle Ages, Cole thought. It felt more like a rolled up burlap sack was holding his limbs in position than any type of rope he had ever felt. Unfortunately it was a very thick and inflexible burlap sack.  
  
But today everything he'd grown accustomed to waking up with had changed. He was in utter silence. Nothing more than his shallow breathing and pulsing blood could be heard by even Cole's sensitive ears. No machinery, no footsteps, no voices...  
  
Cole tested his hand ever so slightly and was shocked to find his hands were no longer tied down. He dragged his finger along the surface of the table to discover it was no longer the table at all. No, in fact it was dirt.  
  
Unable to resist any longer, he opened his eyes and found himself staring dumbfounded into the shining night sky.  
  
What was going on?  
  
Cole gingerly moved his head, relieved to find the usual headache resulting from the massive amounts of drugs they'd been pumping into his body for the last week was no longer there.   
  
He then started to realize something really was wrong.   
  
Not only was his injured leg no longer radiating even the smallest amount of discomfort but also he seemed to have no feeling at all. Not in the sense that he couldn't feel stuff, actually his already enhanced senses seemed to be in heavy overload if nothing else. But when Cole sat up and accidentally placed his hand on a sharp thorn that punctured his palm he didn't feel it. Not until he looked at it and saw the thorn sticking from his skin and the blood trickling down his palm did he even notice it had happened at all.  
  
Frowning Cole tried something else. He slowly got to his feet, prepared for a fresh burst of pain from his leg, but received nothing at all. He took a step and rested on that leg. For a moment he felt the oddest sensation in the back of his neck, like a tingling, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. Cole's frown deepened.   
  
Looking around he could see nothing but the sparse vegetation of the African grasslands, no sign of the facility he'd been in existed.   
  
Still weary of his leg, Cole took another few steps forward. Nothing. It felt as good as new. Maybe even better. That it itself was wrong. He hadn't been here that long, had he? Even an X5 couldn't recover from a broken bone it that short of time. Not so they felt no sign of it at all.  
  
Once convinced that the bone was not going to give out on him, Cole took off at a loping jog in the northern direction. He was bound to run into something sooner or later.  
  
But what the hell was going on?? 


End file.
